Christy Clark stands up for her Anglican faith

Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun02.06.2013

‘I think we should be doing much, much more to involve faith communities in the work that government does ... It’s not going to contaminate us,’ Premier Christy Clark told a gathering at Vancouver Club on Tuesday night.

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Even though Premier Christy Clark recognizes it’s politically “risky” in British Columbia, she took another stab at talking about her religious faith this week.

The Liberal leader addressed a group of about 130 Christians at the private Vancouver Club on West Hastings Street on Tuesday night.

The premier’s office did not inform media outlets about Clark’s talk. But after The Vancouver Sun learned of the event, approval to attend was granted by City in Focus Foundation, a predominantly evangelical organization that ministers to business people and professionals.

During her informal 50-minute talk before the ethnically mixed audience, Clark discussed what it means to be a lifelong Anglican, her support for “faith-based” social services, her views on same-sex marriage, her commitment to “kindness” and her approach to the Bible.

“For me it’s been kind of an interesting experience to realize, for the first time in my life, that perhaps being a Christian is something that I should not talk about. But I reject that,” the premier said.

Saying B.C. has more “declared atheists” than any province in Canada, Clark nevertheless said for her “the most important thing is to go to church every week and be reminded, by someone whom I respect, to be kind … to be compassionate.”

In a later interview, Clark said she attends Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Vancouver. It’s considered one of the more liberal parishes in the Anglican Church of Canada, which has long been locked in battles over same-sex blessings and whether to interpret the Bible literally or metaphorically.

“I really do think the tragedy of our society is actually not there are so many atheists — because atheists often express themselves as generously as non-atheists — it’s the fact people don’t go to a place of worship every week and get reminded anymore of how important it is that we care,” Clark said in her talk.

The premier, whose party lags behind the NDP in the run-up to a May election, emphasized she would like to see religious groups, such as the Salvation Army, far more involved in delivering B.C. social services.

“I think we should be doing much, much more to involve faith communities in the work that government does, to serve the people,” Clark said, adding that “It’s not going to contaminate us.”

She staunchly defended former Liberal leader Gordon Campbell’s record on providing shelter for the homeless and maintained she was committed to caring for the environment, which she called “God’s creation.”

One of the last times Clark spoke in front of an audience about her faith was last summer on 100 Huntley Street, an Ontario-based evangelical Christian talk show, whose hosts defend “traditional marriage” and condemn abortion and homosexual relationships.

After The Sun reported that Clark declared she finds “inspiration” in the Bible, the head of the B.C. Humanist Association, Ian Bushfield, was one of many British Columbians who expressed worry Clark was eroding the “separation of religion and state.”

Donald Grayston, a retired religious studies professor at Simon Fraser University who is also an Anglican priest, said in an interview he found it “gutsy” that Clark would speak about her Christianity in a province in which more than one in three people say they have “no religion.”

Hoping the Liberal premier was being “sincere” in expressing her concern for the disadvantaged, Grayston nevertheless said the New Democratic Party, which was born out of the Christian “social gospel,” has “historically placed a much stronger emphasis on the poor and the marginalized than all the other parties.”

As an Anglican priest, Grayston supported what Clark said about interpreting the Bible.

When a member of the audience asked, through a written question, why some of Clark’s political policies “contradict the Bible,” the premier retorted that “the Bible contradicts itself.”

She added: “I’m an Anglican. This is what we learn in church. The Bible is not a static document. It’s a teaching document. Which is why we debate its contents so vigorously.”

The premier acknowledged some of her policies do not satisfy the Anglican bishop for Vancouver, Michael Ingham.

“I met with Bishop Ingham and said, ‘What are your views on what we should be doing as government?’ And he said, ‘Well, I think you should raise the minimum wage and not allow the Enbridge pipeline’,” Clark told the audience.

“I said, ‘Well, OK, I’ve already raised the minimum wage and we’ve set in place strict conditions for the Enbridge pipeline. So I am following my understanding of my faith. But my bishop (still) doesn’t agree with me.”

An audience member also asked Clark’s views on same-sex marriage, an issue which bitterly divides conservative and liberal religious people.

“I support them,” she said. “Family comes in many different forms ... so I support the principle (of same-sex marriage) politically and personally. But, of course, I know we have a broad debate about it.”

Clark left The Vancouver Club after her talk, which received solid applause. The evening ended with many of the audience attending a private $60-a-plate dinner with Pamela Martin, the former CTV news anchor who now serves as the premier’s “director of outreach.”

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